Among all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., African Americans have the greatest burden of HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in 16 black men and one in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetimes. In 2009, blacks made up 14 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for nearly half (44 percent) of all new HIV infections. Recent CDC data shows an alarming 48 percent increase in new HIV infections from 2006 to 2009 among young, black men who have sex with men aged 13 to 29 years. Black women, according to the CDC, are far more affected by HIV than women of other races. The rate of new HIV infections for black women is more than 15 times as high as that of white women, and more than 3 times as high as that of Latino women.

The theme for 2012 is I Am My Brother's/Sister's Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS! and is focused on making sure that all black men, women, and young adults, regardless of sexual orientation, economic class, or educational level, see themselves as part of the solution to the HIV epidemic in black communities.